Victor Osimhen: Napoli star defends Alex Iwobi against bullies – ‘We are also humans’

The former Arsenal forward was the target of online trolls after Nigeria failed to lift the 2023 AFCON

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has urged Nigerians to desist from cyberbullying Alex Iwobi and other Super Eagles stars following the national team's adventure at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles were the darling of many Nigerian fans after they defeated Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Angola, and South Africa to reach the final of the tournament.

However, despite Nigeria taking the lead via a William Troost-Ekong header in the title decider, hosts Cote d'Ivoire fought back brilliantly to claim a 2-1 win and lift the trophy.

Some social media influencers and online trolls, however, singled out Iwobi for relentless attack for his perceived underperformance throughout the tournament and especially in the final.

Following the bullying, Iwobi was forced to delete all his posts on Instagram, with unconfirmed reports suggesting he was considering calling time on his international career.

However, the Fulham star has received massive support from his teammates, with Osimhen calling for the bullies to stop as the players are only humans prone to making mistakes.

“I urge Nigerians that cyberbullying is bad because we are also humans,” Osimhen said in Abuja on Tuesday.

“Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes, we have a good game, and we’ll get the hype. But of course, when you criticise, you have to be constructive when doing this type of things.

“I think, to be fair, what they have done to Alex [Iwobi] is out of this world and not good. They should also look at his mental health because there are some of us who can take this to heart and then keep on grinding.

“And there are some of us that it gets to our heads, and they will lose focus, and we will lose form. So I think we are rallying around him. We have spoken to him individually and collectively.”

The Super Eagles have returned to the country following their AFCON exploits in Cote d'Ivoire.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu received the team at the State House in Abuja, where each of the players – except Ahmed Musa and Kenneth Omeruo – was awarded the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).

Having earlier received MON awards following Nigeria's triumph at the 2013 AFCON, Musa and Omeruo were honoured this time with the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).